Apparatus for dispensing liquid soap.



W. C. M ORRILL.

APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING LIQUID SOAP.

APPLICATION FILED MM? 23' I907- 1 1 99,9 1 8 Patented Oct, 3, 1916.

INVENTUI? viii Si individual cakes of soap, but this prac -v WILLIAM c. MonRILL, or. new YORK, n. Y.

. 1 APPARATUS non msrnnsme LIQUID soar.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

I Application filed March 23, 1907. Serial No. 364,124.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. MoRRrLL, a citizen or" the United States, residing at the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Apparatus for Dispensing Liquid'Soap, of which the folatmosphere it will become contaminated by lowing is a specification.

This invention is an apparatus ,fordispensing liquid soap .in an economical and hygienic manner, and in regulated quantities as required for use..

There are many objections, both from a sanitary standpoint and,other.wise, to using toilet soap in cake form, particularly in places of public resort, such'as lavatories, hotels, public buildings, and ofiices. One ground of such objection is the unsanitary conditions of use arising from the fact that the same cake is used by many different persons, thereby affording great danger, as has been well recognized, for spreading certain contagious diseases. T o overcome this disadvantage, most of the better classes of hotels provide their guests with unwrapped tice, naturally, is very expensive. Furthermore, under conditions of ordinary use in public places, a cake of soap disintegrates and wastes rapidly, and the total outlay required to keep up the supply in a satisfac-' tory manner 1s a large item of expense. Then again the soap, through careless users, becomes unsightly, and soils the soap-dish and other articles with which it. comes in contact.

It has been attempted to overcome the many objections incident to the employment of cake soap, such as by delivering shaved soap, powdered soap or liquid soap from a container, or by using paper or other similar material coated with soap. These various ways, however, particularly as concerns liquid soap, have never gone into any very extended use.

The advantages to be secured from the employment of liquid soap are Well known, but to my knowledge no practical system of storing and dispensing such soap has been devised.

Liquid soap alwavs contains Volatile solvents, such as alcohol, ammonia, etc., and, also, perfumes, so that a practicable apparatus for dispensing this soap must provide against evaporation of such solvents and perfumes: otherwise very considerable Patented oeas, 1916.

financial loss results, and further, the liquid soap is deteriorated, lacks uniformity in composition, and the ingredients which sepration of the solvents clog the container and arate or crystalize out owingto the evapodelivery pipes for the soap. Furthermore ii if the liquid soap is exposed to the external 1 dust and other impurities in the atmosphere.

tion fit for use, and-to dispense such soap in regulated quantities with a view to preventing Waste thereof, -thereby securing economy in the use of-the soap,and-, also,

to overcome the other disadvantages hereinbefore referred to. 1

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction shown therein is to be understood as illustrative only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

.Figure 1 is an elevation, with the storage tank for the liquid'soap in section, of an apparatus for dispensingliquid soap embodying my invention. Fig.2is a sideelevationofthe apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3isa vertical section, partly an elevation, of one form of liquid dispensing and air admitting valve adapted to be used in the present liquid soap dispensing system. Fig. i is an elevation, partly in section, illustrating a plurality of throttle-valves which may be used in the distributing pipes of the system. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section of the throttle-valve.

A designates a tank for the storage of liquid soap. This tank occupies a position some distance above the Wash-stand B, or other form of lavatory to which the liquid soap is to be supplied, but the relation of the storage tank to the wash-stand is a matter of no consequence, except that said tank should be above the lavatory for the purpose of supplying liquid soap by gravity thereto.

As shown, the tank A is closed for the purpose of storing the soap free from contact with the external atmosphere, and for preventing dust 01' dirt from entering the contents thereof, as well as for preventing the volatile ingredients of the soap from evaporatmg. The tank is shown as having a fillmg nozzle 4 which is tightly closed by a suitable cap 6. This cap is to be removed only when the tankis to be refilled with the liquid soap, and it is to be understood, therefore, that under normal conditions the cap or closure 1) is applied to the tank for the purpose of tightly closing it. The tank'is shown as having a gage c for indicating the level of the contents thereof, and said tank may be equipped withother desired devices.

G designates a distributing pipe which is attached to the tank, preferably at the bottom portion thereof. This pipe leads or con- 'ducts the liquid soap to any desired place of use, and as shown said pipe is providedwith branches 0 which are adjacent to the wash stand B. It will be understood that any desired number of distributing pipes, such as C, may be employed in connection with the closed storage tank A, and further that each distributing pipe may have any appropriate number ofbranch pipes.

At the place where the soap is to be used, the pipe C or its branch 0 is equipped with a dispensing valve D, one form of which is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Said valve consists of a sectional casing, the mem bers or sections of which are indicated at d d. The member d is coupled detachably as having a central opening in which is adapted to operate a conical pointed valve G, the latter being movable through the partition and toward the orifice e of the de livery cap. The valve G is at the lower end of a rod H, the latter extending through the valve casing. A portion of this rod is provided with a pressure piece or head h, and said rod works in a stuffing box" which contains a packing 9 that is adapted to be compressed by the adjustment of the gland g. The rod H carries a piston I, the latter being fixed to or made in one piece with said rod, so as to work in the chamber f of the valve casing. The external diameter of the piston I corresponds substantially to the internal diameter of the passage f in order that said piston may work in the passage in a way to eject a predetermined quantity of liquid soap from the dispensing valve on the depression of the rod H. The piston is shown as having an enlarged flange 2' which is adapted to engage with a shoulder of the valve-casing-member r]' for the purpose of limiting the downward movement of said piston and the rod. A perforated plate or diaphragm J is clamped between the upper end portion of the member 03f and shoulder of the member (Z, and to secure a tight joint between the parts 03 (i of the casing, a packing or gasket 7' is arranged between said partition J and the aforesaid shoulder of the casing member cl. Thepartition J serves as a guide to the rod H which passes loosely through one of the perforations in said partition.

K designates a spring which fits loosely around the rod H between the valve G and the piston said spring tending to normally lift the rod to the position shown in Fig. 3. The member cl of the casing is coupled to the distributing pipe C or one of its branches, and this casing of the valve is filled with liquid soap above the valve Gr and partition F in which said valve is adapted to operate. The spring K acts to lift the rod H so that the piston I is in a raised position, and the valve G occupies or fills the opening in the partition F, whereby the valve G is closed to cut off the escape of liquid soap from the dispensing valve, and

to prevent the admission of air to the distributing pipe and the storage tank of the soap dispensing system.

For the purpose of controlling the quantity of soap which flows from the tank to the dispensing valve, and for shutting off the flow of soap from the tank to any of the dispensing valves, I employ throttle valves in the pipe C or its branches 0'. One of said throttle valves is shown in detail in Fig. 5, and in Figs. 1 and 4 the' pipe C and its branches of are each shown as having one of said valves L. The throttle valve consists of a body m and a plug at, said body being se cured to or within the pipe C or its branch 0. Said body is shown as having a central bore or passage m, the diameter of which is quite small as compared with that of the distributing pipe or its branch, and said body is, furthermore, provided with a passage at right angles to the bore m, which passage affords a seat for the plug n. The plug is fitted in the body at right angles thereto, and said. plug has a passage 0 which is adapted to be brought into alinement with the bore m. The plug is provided with an exposed key member 29 to which a wrench or key may be applied for the purpose of turning the plug and thereby bringing its passage 0, more or less into registration with the bore m of the body, whereby the plug may be adjusted to cut off the passage of liquid soap through the throttle valve, or it may regulate the quantity of soap which passes through the throttle to the dispensing valve D.

After the apparatus is installed the tank A is filled with liquid soap and the closure 7) is applied for securely closing said tank. The dispensing valves are closed by the springs K thereof and the liquid soap fills the pipe C, its branches (1 and the valves D above the partitions F thereof. It will be observed that the liquid soap is stored in the tank, the distributing pipe and-the dispensing valves, entirely free from contact with the external air,.thus preventing loss by evaporation of the essential oils and volatile elements of the soap. When it is desired to use the soap, the operator presses on the exposed head h of the rod, thereby depressing the said rod so as to open the valve G and force the piston I downwardly, said piston acting on the soap contained in the passage f so as to eject a predetermined quantity of soap from the the soap finding a orifice e of the cap pensing valve may matically discharge a minute quantity of liquid soap, say 1 to 2 drops each time the rod H is operated. When pressure is removed from the rod, the spring at once acts to close the valve G and lift the piston I, thus restoring the parts totheir normal positions and cut oifthe further egress of soap.

An important or nozzle E. The disbe regulated to autofeature of the operation is that air is admitted by the valve to the pipe and the tank when said valve is operated to eject a predetermined quantity of The successive operations of the valve in dispensing the soap acts in a well known manner to lower the level of the liquid soap in the air tight tank, and thus the air in the space within the tank, above the soap level therein, would have a tendmay to establish a partial vacuum therein were it not for the fact that the air admit-- ted by the valve passes into said space within the tank above the soap level therein. It is thus evident that the act of dispensing the soap tends to create a partial vacuum, or 'rarefaction of air, within the tank, and the forceful ejection of soap by the pumplike action of the piston valve, admits air to the line of pipe connecting the valve with said tank. Now, the air which may be consoap.

tained in'the dispensing valve above the piston therein, or be present in the pipe line, will to a certain extent have a tendency to be drawn upwardly through the liquid soap present in the pipe by the suction due to the presence of the partialvacuum or the rarefaction of air within the tank, as a result of which the air admitted by the operations of the dispensing valve will pass the throttle valve notwithstanding the restricted liquid and air passages therein. Obviously, the

bore or passage m in the throttle valve may be'of such dimensions and be so formed by a skilled mechanic that the liquid soap will flow in one direction-so as to pass out of the throttle and dispensing valves whereas air will pass or bubble in an opposite direction through the pipe line and the throttle valve so as to enter the air tight tank for the purpose of dispensing valve,. free exit through the .tion of the soap and loss admitting the necessary volume of air to said tank for replacing the liquid soap displaced therefrom, thereby precluding the atmospheric pressure from balancing the liquid and stopping the outflow of soap.

From the foregoing 'it is' apparent that two forces act to induce the flow of air through the liquid column present within the pipe line; first, the air admitted by the dispensing valve has a tendency -to rise through the soap, and, second, the partial vacuum established in the tank above the soap level tends to draw the'air from the soap column'into the space above the tank, it being apparent that the dispensing valve operates with a piston-like action to forcibly eject the soap. Thus, with the continued operation of the valve, the air will find its way-past the throttle. The air thus admitted to thetank is brought into intimate contact with the descending column of soap, thereby thoroughly aerating the same, which air is a very important factor in causing the soap to rapidly lather.

tion, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus for storing and dis-- pensing liquid soap, a tank or container closed against the admission of external air and wherein liquid soap is adapted to be contained without exposure to the external air for the purpose of precluding congelaof the essential oils and perfumes thereof by evaporation, a manually operated valve in communication with said tank or container, said valve operating to dispense a predetermined quantity of soap and to simultaneously admit a tank or container,

like quantity of air to the whereby the soap in the tank is aerated by the air passing upwardly therethrough and the air thus admitted is free to accumulate in the tank or container above the level of the liquid soap therein, and means for closing said valve automatically upon the cessation of the outflow of soap and the inflow of air through the valve.

2. In an apparatus for storing and dispenslng liquid soap, a tank or container closed against the admission of external air vand wherein liquid soap 1s adaptedto be contained without exposure to the external air for the purpose of precluding congelation of the soap and loss of the essential oils and perfumes thereof by evaporation, a distributing pipe connected to said tank, a manually operated valve cooperating with said pipe and adapted to be supplied thereby with liquid soap from the tank or container, said valve operating to dispense a predetermined quantity of soap and to s1- multaneously admit a similar volume of air to the pipe and to the tank or container,

a is stored in said tank under the pressure of air admitted thereto by the operation of a dispensing valve, a distributing pipe connected to the bottom of the tank and adapt ed to be supplied-with liquid soap by gravity therefrom, and a spring pressed dispens ing valve communicating iwith said pipe, said valve operating to eject a predetermined limited quantity of liquid soap and to simultaneously admit suflicient air to the pipe and the tank to compensate for the discharge of liquid soap therefrom.

' 4. In an apparatus for-dispensing liquid soap, a closed tank for the storage of liquid soap free from contact with external air, adistributing pipe, a dispensing and regulating valve of the push piston type connected to said pipe for discharging a predetermined quantity of liquid soap and simultaneously admitting a small volume of air to the tank, means for automatically closing said dispensing valve, and a throttle inter mediate of the tank and said valve for shutting off the supply of liquid soap to said valve.

5. In an apparatus for dispensing liquid soap, the combination of a closed tank wherein liquid soap is stored free from contact with external air, the liquid soap in said tank being exposed to the pressure of air admitted to the tank by the operation of a dispensing valve, a distributing pipe provided with a plurality of branches, a liquid dispensing and air admitting valve of the push pistontype positioned oneach of said branches, each valve having a spring for automatically closingthe same, and throttles in the respective branches of the distributing pipe.

6. In an apparatus for dispensing liquid soap, an airtight tank wherein liquid soap is adapted to be stored free from exposure to the external air, whereby the soap is retained-in a condition to preclude congelation and the loss of essential oils, a pushplston valve, means for connecting said .valve to the tank, and means for impelling the piston element of said valve normally to a seat for cutting off the flow of liquid therethrough, said valve embodying means whereby a predetermined quantity of liquid soap is discharged, and a limited volume of air is admitted to the tank, upon each operation of said valve, the air thus admitted by the valve bubbling through the soap present in the tank for the purpose of aerating the liquid soap.

7. In an apparatus for dispensing liquid soap, a closed tank for the storage of liquid soap free from contact with external air, a

distributing pipe connected to said tank, a

WILLIAM C. MORRILL.

Witnesses JAs. H. GRIFFIN, H. I. BERNHARD. 

